In order to receive proper medical attention, it is often necessary to quickly transport patients extended distances to pre-selected treatment centers especially equipped to handle such patients. Because of their ability to cover large distances in relatively short periods of time, aircraft have proven especially valuable in transporting patients. For example, it is known that cargo aircraft can be employed for evacuating injured military personnel. Similarly, medivac helicopters are becoming increasingly useful in transporting crash and burn victims from accident sites to specialized treatment centers. However, a problems exists of how to safely transport large numbers of seriously wounded personnel on board such aircraft.
It has been suggested that a plurality of spaced ceiling to floor support straps be provided for supporting end portions of vertically stacked medical litters. While such a scheme may be used in small aircraft, it is impractical, to say the least, for use in larger cargo aircraft necessary for quickly transporting large numbers of patients.
It has further been suggested that a plurality of litters be supported at opposite ends by a pair of spaced support assemblies each secured to the aircraft floor by a minimum of at least two cables or struts. Such support assemblies are generally complex in nature and often require a number of persons to erect the support assemblies, making it difficult to quickly set up and rearrange the supports as may be required for emergency evacuations. A further, crucial drawback of many known litter support assemblies in a general inability to quickly adjust vertical spacing between a plurality of medical litters to accommodate additional litters, and/or necessary movement of injured personnel resting on the litters.
As will become apparent, the present invention provides a lightweight, free-standing litter support assembly easily assembled and positioned by a single person so as to overcome the types of problems discussed hereabove. In addition, the present invention provides an adjustable litter support assembly wherein spacing between vertically stacked litters can be easily and quickly varied in order to add or remove litters as required.